


Cerebral Disparity

by Hammocker



Series: I Saw You [4]
Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Cute, M/M, Riddles, Short & Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-08
Updated: 2016-04-08
Packaged: 2018-05-31 22:32:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6489949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hammocker/pseuds/Hammocker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Getting Victor Zsasz to understand riddles was an uphill battle that Edward was willing to wage.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cerebral Disparity

**Author's Note:**

> I'm very sorry about that gore piece I wrote with these two last week. Have something cute.

Edward had been cautious about using riddles around Victor at first. He didn’t know what might set Victor off and cause him to become violent. It was as though he had a huge predator in his apartment every other day, one he couldn’t remove without fear. He’d considered calling the police, but he didn’t want to get on Victor’s bad side nor have to explain why he was harboring a known murderer. So Edward accepted his unwanted house guest as he came.

As time went on, Edward slowly came to understand that Victor wasn’t an animal, not completely anyway. He was strange and lacked social grace and didn’t seem to know how to use a door, but he could be very sweet when he cared to be. Domineering at times, but not unkind. Victor liked him, Edward was sure about that at least. Why else would he keep coming back and not have killed Edward yet?

Victor was still Victor, however, and thus Edward wasn’t sure what to expect upon presenting his initial riddle. It was a damp evening, rain having poured down on the city throughout the day. Edward had only gotten home ten minutes ago, and Victor had been skulking about inside. Edward wasn’t even surprised at his presence anymore, though, he still found himself on edge. Nonetheless, as he was preparing to begin on dinner, Edward felt the compulsion to pose a conundrum.

“What’s more useful when it’s broken?” he asked, pulling out a couple onions from his fridge.

Victor swiveled his head to watch Edward and blinked several times as he thought about the question. He didn’t seem to mind being asked, that much was a good sign.

“I’m not sure. Why do you ask?”

“Do you give up?”

Victor squinted and tilted his head.

“Give up what?”

Edward gave a puff of laughter. It should have been obvious that he had to be very clear with Victor if he wanted him to understand.

“I mean, do you want the answer?”

It was then that Victor gave him a look like he’d gone insane.

“Why ask a question you already know the answer to?”

“Well...”

Edward found himself hesitating. Of all the questions he’d never thought to really ask himself, it had to be the one Victor would ask. Edward was many things, most of them unusual, but he wasn’t as sheerly utilitarian as Victor was.

“Because it’s- fun,” Edward finally answered, shrugging. “And it tests non-linear thinking, problem solving.”

“But- you already know the answer,” Victor insisted, as though the concept was simply incompatible with his mindset.

“That’s part of the idea. I want to know how you’re going to work out the problem I give you. Like stretching, but for the brain”

“It’s not a problem if someone already has a solution.”

Edward shook his head and opened his fridge to retrieve a carton.

“It’s an egg,” he said, placing the container of them on the counter. “You break an egg so it becomes useful.”

Victor’s expression shifted from confusion to frustration to a brief look of realization and back again. As though his brain was working overtime trying to process the information he’d be given.

“It’s not as useful to the bird,” Victor pointed out.

“No, I guess not,” Edward conceded, shrugging. “But we’re not birds.”

“I understand,” Victor said, though, his expression remained knotted. “I don’t understand.”

Despite Victor’s resistance to the concept, Edward couldn’t help but feel increased affection for him. It wasn’t as though he’d told Edward his riddle was stupid and that Edward was stupid for asking it and been done with it. It was like explaining the idea to a child; the investment was there, but not the mental aptitude.

“That’s okay. At least you’re trying.”

“Do most people not try?”

“Most people tell me to shut up and get on with my point,” Edward said, pulling a knife out of a drawer and placing it on his counter top with a bit too much force.

“No one’s ever asked me a riddle before.”

It was Edward’s turn to stare at Victor, speechless. Suddenly he understood why Victor had so much difficulty comprehending the concept. He couldn’t even imagine never having even one verbal conundrum presented to him at his age.

“Really? Not even as a child?” 

“Not as far as I remember. It wouldn’t be any use for killing.”

“What do you know that isn’t related to killing?”

Victor cocked his head, blinking at Edward. After a moment, his lip curled to make way for a toothy smile.

“That’s not a riddle,” he declared. “You don’t know the answer.”

Edward could say a lot of things about the state of Victor’s mind, but he’d never say that Victor wasn’t capable of learning.

“I- don’t believe I do.”

“Only as much as I care to,” he answered, glowing with more pride than he really deserved.

“Good to know.” It was then that Edward remembered why he’d originally asked his riddle. 

“Do you want dinner? I’m making a quiche.”

“Yes,” Victor answered with a confident nod.


End file.
